While there will be much debate until the NFL Draft in May over who should be the No. 1 pick, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney believes he already has the answer.
That would be Clowney himself.
“Coming out of high school, I told myself I wanted to go into the draft and to be the No. 1 pick,” Clowney told ESPN on Thursday. “I worked hard to get to this point in my life where I gave myself a great chance to go No. 1 in the draft and hopefully I will get to be No. 1.
“I’m going to try to prove myself at the combine and hopefully just go up from there.”
Clowney was considered the top prospect last year, but he was ineligible for the draft after only two years in college. His stock diminished slightly during the 2013 season at South Carolina, but he is still in the running to go No. 1, according to draft experts.
This year’s top pick by the Houston Texans is likely to come from a strong quarterback class that features Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles.
“I’d really be happy anywhere I go. But if I go (to Atlanta), I’d be excited. I’d be close to home still,” Clowney said on the Dan Patrick Show. “I just think I should be the No. 1 pick taken overall in the draft.”
NFLDraftScout.com’s Rob Rang projects Clowney as the No. 1 pick in his mock draft and Dane Brugler puts him No. 2 behind Bortles.
Clowney also made clear that he does not need foot surgery but would be willing to submit to it if his new employer wanted a procedure done.
“I feel great right now,” Clowney said. “I doubt (surgery is on the table). Depends on what the team wants that gets me in the draft. If they want me to get it, I’ll get it. If they don’t, it shouldn’t bother me. I’ll probably wait until the next offseason to get it done.”